Project Description
Using the Flat Stanley premise from James Brown's 1964 book Flat Stanley Adventure, students in the course had to photograph Stanley on his "adventure" in our classrooms and in our lives. We then honed our digital image editing skills by cropping the photographs and reducing their file size to make them more Internet-friendly and more eye-catching. Using these digital images each student created a separate page on the class project Wiki highlighting their own adventure with Stanley through text and an embedded podcast.
Reflection
The Flat Stanley project was a unique way to practice manipulating digital images. While cropping photographs was not a new skill for me, I enjoyed having the opportunity to take photographs of a subject I would otherwise not have photographed – my own classroom.
It was enjoyable watching the class project Wiki develop over the two week period that the activity encompassed. The project helped me explore the use of Wikis in the classroom as a collaborative tool. There are some educators in my department and in my school that use Wikis occasionally throughout the year, but many of the activities are teacher-driven. The Flat Stanley project is truly student-centered and allows the student to develop the 21st century skills they need. I have already begun to ponder ways to incorporate Wikis in a similar manner in my own classroom and hope that my students’ experiences can be as rewarding as mine.
Flat Stanley
EDT 6010 Flat Stanley Collaborative Wiki: http://edtflatstanley.wikispaces.com/
My Flat Stanley Adventure: http://edtflatstanley.wikispaces.com/Lance+Lavelle
Project Description
Using the Flat Stanley premise from James Brown's 1964 book Flat Stanley Adventure, students in the course had to photograph Stanley on his "adventure" in our classrooms and in our lives. We then honed our digital image editing skills by cropping the photographs and reducing their file size to make them more Internet-friendly and more eye-catching. Using these digital images each student created a separate page on the class project Wiki highlighting their own adventure with Stanley through text and an embedded podcast.
Reflection
The Flat Stanley project was a unique way to practice manipulating digital images. While cropping photographs was not a new skill for me, I enjoyed having the opportunity to take photographs of a subject I would otherwise not have photographed – my own classroom.It was enjoyable watching the class project Wiki develop over the two week period that the activity encompassed. The project helped me explore the use of Wikis in the classroom as a collaborative tool. There are some educators in my department and in my school that use Wikis occasionally throughout the year, but many of the activities are teacher-driven. The Flat Stanley project is truly student-centered and allows the student to develop the 21st century skills they need. I have already begun to ponder ways to incorporate Wikis in a similar manner in my own classroom and hope that my students’ experiences can be as rewarding as mine.